And he's ready to take you with him.

Tag Archives: United States

Admitted to the United States as the 22nd state in 1819, Alabama has been producing two centuries of noteworthy events, from key civil rights movements to thrilling Crimson Tide football games to launching a highly successful eponymous country band. It has also been a place of firsts: Alabama was the first state to declare Christmas a legal U.S. holiday (1836), the first place in the world to introduce an electric street trolley system (1886), and the first place in the Western Hemisphere where an open heart surgery was performed (1902). And, of course, it keeps track of all that in the nation’s first state archival agency, created in 1901. From the hilly highland rim in the north to its white Gulf Shore beaches, Alabama is filled with more than enough sites, attractions, and points of interest to make your vacation here complete. Read about the top five things to see and do in Alabama >

After a guided tour of the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln — one of the top five U.S. state capitols — I headed back to my rental car, parked in the leafy residential neighborhood adjacent to the grounds of the capitol. The dull-green Victorian-style house with a pitched roof, lawn statues, and red, white, and blue bunting caught my attention. On second glance, I noticed the sign that read, Billy’s Restaurant. Intrigued by this location for a restaurant, I made an impromptu decision to lunch here. My choice was rewarded with a terrific meal in a lovely setting, and a new Iranian friend. Read more >

I had already sampled the surf in Baltimore, Maryland, at Oceanaire Seafood Room, and now I wanted to try the turf. So I crossed over Eastern Avenue Bridge spanning a narrow inlet of the Inner Harbor and entered the city’s Little Italy, where red, white, and green lights stretch across a few streets and the aromas of Italian cooking waft from the neighborhood’s handful of restaurants and cafés. Of these, La Scala Ristorante, consistently rated one of the city’s best Italian restaurants, grabbed my attention with its promise of a delectable meal and possibly a game of bocce. Read more >

Just a short walk downhill from the gorgeous New York State Capitol and near many of Albany’s top churches, along the city’s main downtown thoroughfare, Jack’s Oyster House has been in business for more than 100 years. Still operated by the same family, this stalwart establishment has remained open for business every day of the year since World War I—with one exception: the day of the founder’s funeral in 1987. That sort of dedication earned Jack’s a certification from the Distinguished Restaurants of North America for achieving the highest distinction in the distinguished dining and hospitality communities. But Jack’s doesn’t rest on its laurels; the head chef, named Chef of the Year by the American Culinary Federation, merges its history with forward-looking creations. Read more >

I devoted most of my only day in Corning, New York, to the outstanding Corning Museum of Glass, where I admired thousands of fantastic glass objects and took a flameworking class and created my own glass pumpkin pendant. By the time I emerged, the sun had shifted to the opposite end of the sky, and I was ready for a large meal. Just a couple doors down from my lodgings, the wonderful Inn at the Gaffer Grille, I found Sorge’s. This was hardly a discovery — everyone in town seemed to be there already — but it was certainly a stroke of good decision-making when I chose it for dinner. Read more >

Around this time of year 155 years ago, the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, was under siege in a pivotal Civil War moment. A Union victory here, the last major Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River, spelled the beginning of the end for the South. The city survived, however, growing into a major trading center that relied on steamboat traffic and erecting impressive structures that reflected its boom and that still survive today. Read more about the top five buildings in Vicksburg, Mississippi >

Once the tallest building on the planet — a title it retained for 17 years in the early 1900s — it now ranks at #63 in the United States and doesn’t crack the world’s top 100. Despite surrendering its lofty crown, the Woolworth Building retains its elegance and style that have been hallmarks of the New York City skyline since 1913. Although it’s getting increasingly harder to see as taller, less interesting neighbors sprout up around it, the Woolworth Building still puts other skyscrapers to shame, and once you take your first glance at it, you’ll understand why my favorite building in New York earned the moniker the “Cathedral of Commerce” only three days after it opened. Read more >